Jude Law is once again to follow in the acting footsteps of Michael Caine - this time with a little help from Ulster director Kenneth Branagh.

The Belfast man is to direct Law in a remake of the 1972 thriller 'Sleuth'.

And Caine, who starred in the original movie alongside Laurence Olivier and was nominated for Oscar, will also star in the film. In the remake, Caine will take on the role first played by Olivier, while Law will play Caine's original character.

It's the second time Law has stepped into Caine's shoes. In 2004 he won the role of Alfie in the remake of the movie made famous by the older actor.

'Sleuth', based on the Anthony Shaffer play, was adapted for the screen in 1972 by Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter. It tells the story of two men involved in a battle of wits over a woman.

Branagh said it was an easy decision to make to get involved. "When Jude Law sent me Harold Pinter's screenplay and I knew that both Jude Law and Michael Caine wanted to be in it, it was the easiest decision I've ever made.

"It is dark, unsettling and viciously funny. We had a script reading last Saturday that confirmed its thrilling potential. And, after working with Shakespeare and now Mozart, it's a great joy to have a genius like Pinter in the room."

In the remake Caine plays a thriller writer who is upset at losing his wife to a young hairdresser (Law) so devises a cunning plan of revenge. In the original 'Sleuth', Caine played the hairdresser while Olivier was the wronged husband.

Belfast-born Branagh has been brought on board to direct the new version.
He has been nominated several times for Oscars and has directed numerous movies including 'As You Like It', 'Hamlet' and 'Much Ado About Nothing'.

It is understood that shooting on the new movie will take place at Twickenham Studios in London at the beginning of next year.

Meanwhile Branagh's latest movie 'The Magic Flute' has been receiving rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival, particularly his star protegee Amy Carson. Branagh plucked the 23-year-old from obscurity to play the role of Pamina in his version of Mozart's opera, which has been set against the backdrop of the trenches of the First World War.